Profile gauge



April l0, 1928. A 1,665,721

PPPPPPPPPP GE Patented Apr. 10, 1928.

UNITED l-STA TESl RICHARD A. STOCXTON, OFBEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS.

PROFILE GAUGE.

Application nled August 8, 1825. y Serial No. 49,008.

The present invention pertains to a novel profile gauge designed to measure or re'- produce the configuration of`irregular surfaces for the purpose, for example, of accurately cutting a piece of stock to be fitted against the irregular surface. v

The device comprises essentially a base membercarrying a .holder refcrabl perpendicular thereto. The ho dergconsists of a bar passing through a stack of coinciding slotted strips. The strips are slidable relatively to one another and may thus be fitted against an lirregular surface to take the rolile thereof. A clamp is provided on the holder for tightening the strips in order to make the impressions permanent.-

Some of the advantages of the improved tool over the old method of scribing are that it saves time, makes accurate measurements for cuts and, in avoiding inaccuracy, saves stock. A particular feature of the invention is that the holder is enclosed by the strips so that the latter may be laid edgewise, when necessary, upon a flat surface in order to take the profile of an irregular piece secured to the surface. This manner of setting would not be accurately possible if the holder projected beyond the edges of the strips.

The invention is fully disclosed Iin the following description and in the accompanying drawings in which;

Figure 1 is an elevation of a double end gauge having one end applied to an irregular surface;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section at one end thereof;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Figure 2;l

Figure 4 is a. plan view at one end; and

Figure 5 is an elevation of a corner tool applied to an irregular surface at an outside corner.

Reference to these views will now be made by use of like characters which are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout.

The device shown in Figure 1 has a base in the form of an extensible member ineluding a pair of steel rules, one or both of which may be graduated. In order to hold these members permanentl in alinement and at the same time lrelatively slidable, a guide 3 is riveted to the rule 2 and bent over upon the member 1. A similar guide 4 is loosely laid upon the rule 1 with its ends bent over the member 2 and is provided with a set screw 5 bearing against Athe member 1 whereby the two parts 1 and 2 may be secured together after having been extended to the desired length.

Each rule 1 and 2 carries a variable profile measuring device at its outer end. lach such device includes a clip 6 engaging a face of one of the rules and having flanges 7 bent over the edges of the rule. A holder bar 8 is passed through the upper flange 7 and secured to the lower flange. The meniber 8 is passed through the upper liange 7 and secured to the lower flange. The member 8 preferably is disposed perpendicular to the rule and has its upper end formed with a threaded stem 9. 'lhe holder is surrounded by a stack of thin strips 10, prefel-ably aluminum, each strip having an elongated slot 11 through which the holder passes. The strips are preferably of rectangular contigui-ation and all of the same dimensions.

Each holder 8 is provided at its lower end with a set screw 12 passed therethrough and bearing against the adjacent rule whereby the profile gauging devices are secured to the rules. yEach threaded stem 9 has mounted thereon a clamp or cap 18 which lies upon the u )permost strip .10. T he stem has threaded t ereon a nut 14 designed to clamp the member 13 downwardly upon the stack of strips in order to prevent shifting among them.

In Figure 5 is illustrated a corner tool for taking the profile of a side otl an angle either at the inside or outside thereof. Thistool comprises a base 15 to one end ot' which the holder 8 is attached. As in the previous modification the holder carries a. stack of strips 1U on which is superl'iosed a clamp 13 controlled by a nut 14 threaded on the stem 9 of the holder.

The tool shown in Figure 1 is particularlyr suited for taking the dimensions and-profile of stair treads. For this purpose, as well as for other purposes, the pile of strips 10 may be as high as desired or necessary. Also, the dimensions of the strips may be varied to 'suit particular requirements of the tool. In

applying the tool, the set screw 5 of the guide 4 1s loosened in order to permit extcnsion of the tool to the required length. The nuts 14 over the clamps v13 are loosened to render -the strips relatively slidable so thatl they may be brought into engagement with the Iirregular ends of the space to receive the lstructed by associated parts of the tool.

stair tread. The manner of applying the strips to an irregular surface is illustrated in Figure l. After the strips have been set to the proper profile, the clamps 13 are tightened whereby the profile taken by the strips is made permanent. The profile 1s then traced or marked on the stock and the latter is then cut accordingly.

The corner tool shown in Figure 5 may be applied to the inside or outside of a corner in the same manner. The base 15 is laid against the straight side ot the corner, and the strips 10 are iitted to the irregular'side.

A particular :feature ot the. invention is that the holder passes through and is con.- tained within the strips as distinguished` from other devices in the art wherein the holder lies outside 'the strips. The present construction enables the long edges of the strips to be laid on a flat surface when the tool must be placed in this position for taking the proile of an irregular piece lying on the tlat surface. It will be obvious that a tool having a holder outside the strips cannot be placed in this position with accuracy. In laying the tool edge-wise upon a fiat surface to take the profile of an irregular piece on the surface, it is necessary that the holders be confined within the strips in order that the non-indentable edges ot the latter may lie directly upon the surface and be unobn keeping with this object, it is necessary that the clips 6 have their backs substantially` coplanar with the adjacent aligned edges of the strips 10 and that the set screws be disposed at the other side of the base or rules. It will be seen that although the backs of the clips are contiguous to the members 1 and 2, the metal constituting the clips is thin so that the amount ofprotuberance from the members 1 and 2 is not great, and a co-planar relation between the clips and the members 1 and 2 is substantially maintained.

lVhile a specific embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that various alterations in the details of construction may be made without departing from the spirlt of the invention as indicated by the a pended claims.

Havin thus fully descri ed the invention, what I c aim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A profile gauge com rising a pair of alined and relatively slidable rules, a holder attached to each rule, a plurality of superposed slidable strips surrounding each holder, and a clamp mounted on each holder and bearing against the uppermost strip.

2. Av profile gauge comprising a base, a clip slidably mounted on said base, a holder passed through the clip and lying at. right angles to said base, a plurality of superposed slidable strips surrounding said holder, a set screw threaded in one end of said holder and adapted to engage a face of said base, the back of the clip lying against the other face of the holder and being substantially co` planar with the adjacent alined edges of said strips.

3. A. proile gauge comprising a pair of alined and relatively slidable rules, a clip slidably mounted on each rule, a holder passed through each clip and lying perpendicular to the rules, a. set screw threaded into each holder and engaging one face of the corresponding rule, said clips having each a back member substantially coplanar with the adjacent alined edges of the strips, a guide embracing the two rules, a set screw threaded in said guide for clamping the two rules in adjusted positions, said last named set screw being disposed on the same side yof the rules as the first named set screws.

1. A profile gauge comprising a base. a holder secured to said base, and a plurality of superposed strips surrounding said holder and slidable relatively thereto. the longitudinal edges of said strips extending at least as far as the longitudinal edges of'said base. h Ir witness whereof I have hereunto set my RICHARD A. STOCKTON. 

